Philip and
me together.'

'Well, as to that----' the parrot was beginning doubtfully, when he
broke off to exclaim:

'Do my claws deceive me or is there a curious vibration, and noticeable
acceleration of velocity?'

'Eh?' said Philip, which is not manners, and he knew it.

'He means,' said Max stolidly, 'aren't we going rather fast and rather
wobbly?'

We certainly were. The _Lightning Loose_ was going faster and faster
along that subterranean channel, and every now and then gave a lurch and
a shiver.

'Oh!' whined Brenda; 'this is a dreadful place for dear little dogs!'

'Philip!' said Lucy in a low voice, 'I know something is going to
happen. Something dreadful. We _are_ friends, aren't we?'

'Yes,' said Philip firmly.

'Then I wish you'd kiss me.'

'I can like you just as much without that,' said Philip uneasily.
'Kissing people--it's silly, don't you think?'

'Nobody's kissed me since daddy went away,' she said, 'except Helen. And
you don't mind kissing Helen. She _said_ you were going to adopt me for
your sister.'

'Oh! all right,' said Philip, and put his arm round her and kissed her.
She felt so little and helpless and bony in his arm that he suddenly
felt sorry for her, kissed her again more kindly and then, withdrawing
his arm, thumped her hearteningly on the back.

'Be a man,' he said in tones of comradeship and encouragement. 'I'm
perfectly certain nothing's going to happen. We're just going through a
tunnel, and presently we shall just come out into the open air again,
with the sky and the stars going on as usual.'

He spoke this standing on the prow beside Lucy, and as he spoke she
clutched his arm.

'Oh, look,' she breathed, 'oh, listen!'

He listened. And he heard a dull echoing roar that got louder and
louder. And he looked. The light of the lamps shone ahead on the dark
gleaming water, and then quite suddenly it did not shine on the water
because there was no longer any water for it to shine on. Only great
empty black darkness. A great hole, ahead, into which the stream poured
itself. And now they were at the edge of the gulf. The _Lightning Loose_
gave a shudder and a bound and hung for what seemed a long moment on the
edge of the precipice down which the underground river was pouring
itself in a smooth sleek stream, rather like poured treacle, over what
felt like the edge of everything solid.

[Illustration: Plunged headlong over the edge.]

The moment ended, and the little